Students with global experiences during medical school are more likely to work in settings that focus on the underserved: an observational study from a public U.S. institution.

dc.contributor.author

Slifko, Shay E

dc.contributor.author

Vielot, Nadja A

dc.contributor.author

Becker-Dreps, Sylvia

dc.contributor.author

Pathman, Donald E

dc.contributor.author

Myers, Justin G

dc.contributor.author

Carlough, Martha

dc.date.accessioned

2024-07-09T13:53:19Z

dc.date.available

2024-07-09T13:53:19Z

dc.date.issued

2021-10

dc.description.abstract

Background

Global health interest has grown among medical students over the past 20 years, and most medical schools offer global health opportunities. Studies suggest that completing global health electives during medical school may increase the likelihood of working with underserved populations in a clinical or research capacity. This study aimed to assess the association of global electives in medical school on subsequently working in global health and with underserved populations in the United States (U.S.), additionally considering students' interests and experiences prior to medical school. We also examined whether respondents perceived benefits gained from global electives.

Methods

We surveyed medical school graduates (classes of 2011-2015) from a large public medical school in the U.S. to describe current practice settings and previous global health experience. We evaluated work, volunteer, and educational experiences preceding medical school, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity using American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) data. We assessed the association between students' backgrounds, completing global health electives in medical school and current work in global health or with underserved populations in the U.S.

Results

In the 5 to 8 years post-graduation, 78% of 161 respondents reported work, research, or teaching with a focus on global or underserved U.S.

Populations

Completing a global health elective during medical school (p = 0.0002) or during residency (p = 0.06) were positively associated with currently working with underserved populations in the U.S. and pre-medical school experiences were marginally associated (p = 0.1). Adjusting for pre-medical school experiences, completing a global health elective during medical school was associated with a 22% greater prevalence of working with an underserved population. Perceived benefits from global electives included improved cultural awareness, language skills, public health and research skills, and ability to practice in technology-limited settings.

Conclusion

Medical school graduates who participated in global electives as students were more likely than their peers to pursue careers with underserved populations, independent of experiences prior to medical school. We hypothesize that by offering global health experiences, medical schools can enhance the interests and skills of graduates that will make them more likely and better prepared to work with underserved populations in the U.S. and abroad.
dc.identifier

10.1186/s12909-021-02975-3

dc.identifier.issn

1472-6920

dc.identifier.issn

1472-6920

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/31246

dc.language

eng

dc.publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

dc.relation.ispartof

BMC medical education

dc.relation.isversionof

10.1186/s12909-021-02975-3

dc.rights.uri

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

dc.subject

Humans

dc.subject

Career Choice

dc.subject

Internship and Residency

dc.subject

Schools, Medical

dc.subject

Students, Medical

dc.subject

Medically Underserved Area

dc.subject

United States

dc.subject

Global Health

dc.title

Students with global experiences during medical school are more likely to work in settings that focus on the underserved: an observational study from a public U.S. institution.

dc.type

Journal article

duke.contributor.orcid

Carlough, Martha|0000-0002-5572-5418

pubs.begin-page

552

pubs.issue

1

pubs.organisational-group

Duke

pubs.organisational-group

Divinity School

pubs.organisational-group

University Institutes and Centers

pubs.organisational-group

Duke Global Health Institute

pubs.publication-status

Published

pubs.volume

21

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Students with global expeiences more like to work with underserved - BMC Education 2021.pdf
Size:
1.06 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version